Tidbits
Dawn E. Shepherd - Cap'n Dawn's Assistant!Greetings stampers, scrappers, and artists!
July has arrived and so has the sun in my part of the world. My schedule has gotten terribly busy over the past couple of months so I am sorry to announce this will be the last Tidbits article I write for the time being. I am hoping to leave you with some words of wisdom that will help you to further develop your creativity and keep you motivated when you can't seem to find the time to create.
I recently enjoyed an art class in which the instructor shared her outlook on purchased papers that already have designs on them. She said something like - are you worried about what people will think if you use this scrapbook paper in your collage? I say, "so what?" Something attracted you to this paper in the first place so instead of trying to fight it or tell yourself it means you aren't creative, just work with it; do something to the paper to make it your own-distress the edges, stamp over the existing designs, bleach it out, or sew over it-make it yours!
I found this advice to come at a perfect time. A few months ago I had taken a class with an instructor who encouraged us to make color copies of our own artwork to reuse instead of buying pre-printed papers. This was another good piece of advice, but I found that I pressured myself against using ANY papers that I had purchased that had any type of design on them. As I really started thinking about why, I cam across the notion of adding something to the pre-printed papers so they were still unique to me. Then, that idea was reiterated in my more recent class and it is all falling into place for me.
I have always desired my artwork to me "totally mine" - in other words, everything in it is my original work. It has only been in the last few years that I have been exposed to artists who reuse their own work to create more original works-what a stroke of genius. It's like the subject of repetition-it's natural as artists to continue to explore certain shapes, images, or colors, even though we have already explored them at length; why? Because we are artists and that is how we learn about the world around us and our own internal artistic urges and creative force. Let it flow out of yourself and follow where it leads you instead of always trying to be in the drivers seat. So many artists say, "let go, relax, and create," but how do us mortals learn to do that? By silencing our inner critic, forcing our inner bus-driver into the back seat and letting our creative spirit grab the nearest art supply and go with it.
It take practice to get comfortable with letting loose, but it is so much more rewarding then trying to remember and follow all of your internal Art Rules. If you create a layout, card, or collage that you really like, scan it into your computer or take it to your nearest copy shop and get some color copies made. If you do this once or twice a month you will have a nice little stock of your own inspiring images to use in your work, to look at when you find yourself in artistic "neutral" or to keep as a record of your own progress throughout the year. Since I am fortunate enough to have my own computer with a scanner, I do not have as many color copies as I would like. However, I am making a folder of high resolution print-outs to take with me to the copy shop the next time I go. I find this easier than trying to play catch up by finding them and printing them out all at once.
I hope you have enjoyed my suggestions on using your existing papers and artwork for your future creative expressions. I also hope you have enjoyed reading my articles as much as I have enjoyed writing them. Until our paths cross again I hope you find yourself bursting with creative energy and ideas! Namaste!
Dawn E. Shepherd
dawnshepherd@ssreflections.com
Publisher's Assistant
Reflections Publishing Group, LLC
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